Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of In Re: Sinking Ba’deshi vessel dumps toxic fly ash in river near Ghoramara, shows video shared by panchayat member News item published in the Times of India Kolkata Section dt 17.02.2025 dated 29/04/2025. West Bengal Pollution …
The government and the NGOs of Bangladesh are engaged in a war of words over the relevance of their respective roles in the nation's development programmes. Finance minister Saifur Rehman's diatribe against local NGOs, occasioned by a World Bank study that praises NGO programmes as being more relevant than government-sponsored …
In May, Bangladesh shut its doors on 125 tonnes of milk powder imported from Estonia, alleging high radiation levels in the product. Locked in a wordy duel over the issue are the importer, Danish Condensed Milk (Bangladesh) Ltd and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. Customs sources at the Chittagong Radiation …
Asphyxiated Dhaka dwellers in Bangla" are hoping for a breather from air pollution. In response to a petition filed by a citizen in March-end, the Bangladesh government was issued a Hijb Court show cause notice asking why it should not be directed to take action against air pollution. Mohiuddin Faruque, …
Bangladesh is in the grip of a crisis, us,farmers take to the streets, block roads, snatch fertiliser'tonsignments,and even set ablaze government offices and the residences of political leaders. They are irked at the recent steep hike in fertiliser prices: a 50 kg bag ofchemical fertiliser has doubled from US $5.75 …
The greening of Bangladesh's coastline will commence soon. The Asian Development Bank has approved a US $23.4 million loan for a 7-year project for improving Bangladesh's forest cover and alleviating rural poverty by creating income opportunities. Under an aggressive reforestation drive spearheaded by Bangladeshi NGOs and the forestry department, landless …
Bangladesh's family planning programme has succeeded with a bang, claim officials. "We have been able to make quite a headway in birth control despite the fact that all the variables necessary for the success of a family planning programme are absent in Bangladesh," asserts Mizanur Rehman, director general, Family Planning …
A massive sanitation drive is afoot in Bangladesh, says a Panos report. Inspired by the success of joint government and NGO initiatives in Barisal, the target for 1995 is to extend sanitary coverage to half of Bangladesh's population. People's participation has spurred success in Barisal, Bangladesh's southernmost administrative division. In …
ASSAM's Barak valley dam project will reduce the Sylhet region of Bangladesh to a sandy waste, screams the Khaleda Zia government of Bangladesh. Given a chance, the Zia regime would have the Rs 2,000 crore multi-purpose project sink into oblivion. Bangladesh is beseeching Japan's Overseas Economic Corporation Fund (OECF) not …
Education in Bangladesh seems to be heading for a disaster because of a severe paper shortage. Irked by the crisis, students have taken to rallies and demonstrations. Given that the country, with a literacy rate of 23 per cent, can hardly afford this, the government's responses have been inadequate. Although …
Decades of government monopoly in Bangladesh's energy sector may end soon. New measures have been drafted to facilitate restructuring of the Power Development Board and the Dhaka Electricity Supply Authority, and offer incentives to attract private sector participation. Other reform proposals include a computerised billing system and engaging private parties …
To meet its objective of health for all by AD 2000, Bangladesh has decided to open its doors for importing pharmaceutical ingredients, packaging products and finished drugs. Medicines inadequately produced in the country can now be imported without any restrictions. However, curbs will remain on drugs manufactured on a large …
The Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) will pass a new labour code this winter, says a Panos report. The code proposes to reform 44 labour laws by broadly categorising them and removing their inconsistencies. The changes drafted by the National Labour Law Commission are: waiving of restrictions on employment of women …
Bangladesh's jute industry has hit a rough patch. The crop's price has reportedly nosedived to an "abnormally" low rate of US$ 4-5 per 38 kg in the primary market, against a production cost of US$ 7 for 38 kg. While India is manufacturing diverse products, including industrial and coarse textiles, …
A Bangladesh High Court order brought a doctors' strike to a grinding halt, In response to a writ petition filed by Mohiuddin Farooque, secretary general of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, a mandatory injunction was issued on October 4, directing the 2-week strike to be discontinued immediately. The doctors were …
An international panel of engineers and environmentalists, set up to oversee Bangladesh's Flood Action Plan, has criticised the draft "final report" on the plan. The report says that the total bill for the 162 projects will be US $7 billion, against the $1 billion recommendation of donors, according to New …
SOON after the euphoria of the Green Revolution in India subsided, it became clear that the high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice and wheat were not the answer to the problem of foodgrain scarcity. The planting of HYV seeds, in fact, resulted in more agricultural problems. HYVs of rice required more …
Rampant deforestation in Chittagong is worrying Bangladesh government authorities. According to the country's forest department, indiscriminate logging has rendered barren at least 1,620 ha of private forest land in the Chittagong district alone in the current year. Rapid urbanisation is the major factor behind the deforestation. Trees are being mowed …
Money lenders continue to exercise an iron grip on the fragile economy of rural Bangladesh. A recent survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics reveals that rural borrowers prefer to take loans from village money lenders rather than commercial banks. The rural credit survey on around 15 million households,shows …
The Ganges: A Dying River (13 minutes, directed by Nazneen Azmi) is a condemnation of India's control over the Ganges waters, thanks to the the Farakka barrage. It has been produced by Hasna Moudud, team co-ordinator of the NGO Women for Water Sharing, with the help of the Foundation Pour …
There was something about the sea that sent a shiver through Kamal Hossain. The colour of the water was not the usual emerald green but had a muddier hue -- something unusual for the Bay of Bengal in April. There was also a lot of foam in the water. The …
